Hi
I try to use some Welsh with my three year old daughter, she goes to Cylch and I know she understands at least some. I have also tried reading books although that is still a little painful to listen to. However when I do try a few times she has said to me ‘talk properly’ and I think this is because it’s Welsh and not English. Anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions?
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Helo Theresa.
I have three daughters at home that have had unique reactions to my speaking Welsh with them. The 16 year old more or less tolerates my usage but rarely uses any words back. My 12 year old will use diolch and croeso when the situation calls for it. My 11 year old on the other hand, has no use for it whatsoever. 
She has expressed on several occasions that she does not speak Welsh and gets frustrated when I try using my limited phrases towards her.
Recently however, I have noticed that when I use words that are obvious in meaning (eg: paid when I want her to stop doing cartwheels in the house), she understands and does not complain anymore. I believe this is due to my persistence in using Welsh when I know the word to use in a context.
Based on this, I would suggest being patient and continue (perhaps in small doses) using Welsh until she becomes acclimated to hearing it from you. Additionally, using words or phrases that can be understood either by example (eg: saying bara when holding bread) or by the context. I think my youngest’s frustration stemmed from simply not understanding just what the heck I was saying. So by sneaking Welsh in via a different path seemed to help.
Pob lwc!
Troy
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Hi I have only been learning welsh for about 5 months,but over this time I have been using my one year old son to practice on (not too many welsh speakers in the part of Australia I live in). Though he doesn’t speak yet (either English or welsh) he understands quite a few things in both languages eg milk/ Laeth and sit down/eistedd lawr and so on. But what had really interested me is how much my 6 year old daughter has picked up through this, she quite often says quite proudly ‘dw i’n hoffi siarad cymraeg’ and ‘dw i’n moyn caws’ along with a few other things, yet my middle daughter hasn’t picked up much yet. I guess they are all different in their reactions. The few welsh things I learnt to say (before SSIW) I learnt from my granddad saying them too me as a child, any way I hope they get interested and give you someone else to talk to!
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Hi Theresa, I have been doing the same with my 3yr old who also attends cylch. It is most successful when I use words that they have done - so at the moment we are talking about animals and doing lots of singing. It is fab when we have a mini chat in Welsh 
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She does say a few words of Welsh and sing in welsh but rarely anything in context. I realised that it’s when I use proper sentences like in a book or yesterday I was trying to get her to say Ga i bisgedi plis mam that she told me to talk properly so maybe she’s not used to that
Hi Theresa, I’ve got a four year old girl and I very rarely (almost never) speak English to her. I started learning 4 years ago so its been quite a while and very frustrating on times. She still doesn’t speak to me in Welsh but I know that she understands almost everything I say to her. At least I know that, although we have these weird Welsh/English conversations, she will have a massive advantage over other kids when it comes to learning Welsh in school. One thing I really enjoy doing is reading to her at bedtime. We have a hand full of Welsh books for her but I love reading English books to her and translating them as we go, it really stretches me and highlights the stuff I don’t know. Watching kids programs on S4C would be brilliant for both of you too, chat about what’s going on as you watch it together. Stick with it, it will get easier.
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We need a SSIW get-together with little people as well
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I would think that watching S4C Cyw with your children would be good, if you can! My little dog watches Gyto Gwnignen, Y Dwysoges Fach, Hafod Haul, Octonots and Llan-yr-gollan with me, and shows pleasure at the sound of the signature tunes and interest at what is happening on screen! We watch what I know includes animals!! Toffi has barked at Jaff a couple of times when he has ‘loomed’ at her, but usually she seems to see him as a friend! I talk to her sometimes in Cymraeg, but she only takes notice of me when she wants to in any language and responds much better to bribery, I’m afraid!!
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Hi Theresa,
My 3 year old daughter has used exactly the same phrase, “talk properly”, when I’ve read her Welsh language books. We now tend to select bilingual books, read it in English the first time, then introduce more and more Welsh each time we read it until it’s entirely read in Welsh.
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Hi Theresa - I suspect that she just doesn’t associate you with the part of her life where people speak Welsh. Welsh is what happens in Cylch Meithrin, and once she’s outside of that environment, everyone speaks English. So when you try to do something in Welsh it doesn’t ‘fit’ into how she expects the world to work.
My advice would be just to persist. You don’t question it when she tells you she doesn’t want a bath, do you? You just get on with it! 
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I never before saw training puppies as similar to teaching children, but that rang a bell! My Dad and stepmother had an Alsatian pup and he, I was assured, behaved brilliantly at puppy school, he was their ‘star pupil’!! As soon as he got out of there, he basically cried, “Wowee!! Free to have fun!” He ended up in the police force because my Dad was in poor health and my stepmother couldn’t manage the dog!! He made a brilliant police dog!!!
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I’ve just reminded myself of something important that happened purely by chance. After a few false starts, I only really started speaking Welsh with Tegwen (and her speaking Welsh back to me) when we started playing schools with some of her toys. Because school happened in Welsh it was completely natural for her to play the game in Welsh - it fitted into her world. Playing “School” became and important part of our lives for several years!
Maybe playing “Cylch” is the way to go - And of course, that would include story time!
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I have started using certain phrases at certain times with my son. Mostly revolving around good night and sleep well, I love you etc.
But I also ordered online a couple of big school posters. One for counting to 20, and the other is an alphabet one that I have put on the bathroom walls.
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We used to have an Alphabet poster and played a game where we would try to remember all the words from A to Y. To this day I can remember Afal, Blodyn, Ci, Chwech and Un, Wy, Ysgol, but everything in between is a bit of a blur by now! 
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My two are now adults, one teaches Spanish, Italian and French through Welsh. I have been a perpetual learner since they first went to meithrin amidst much opposition from my non Welsh speaking in laws, my wife was supportive but didn’t learn the language. I persisted in speaking to them at every opportunity and refusing to apologise that others in the immediate vicinity could not understand. Both girls did all their exams in Welsh up to A level, both went to university despite doing the I don’t want to speak Welsh as teenagers and of most importantly, both are fiercely proud of their language and frequently thank me for facilitating their initial bilingualism, so hang on in there, bydd yn dod, bob yn dipyn, Steffan
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Today my daughter will only count in Welsh 
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I would like to give this more than just 1 Like! That’s very very encouraging for other parents out there who are still going through the process. And da iawn ti for not giving in!
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I have just given my first ever ‘like’ 
I have just, I hope successfully, sent off the petition from non-residents of Wales for decent funding for S4C. I well remember the campaign for a channel in Welsh, as well as green paint on road signs to get some recognition for yr hen iaith!! Your daughters are, so to speak, what we were fighting for!!!
Da iawn i chi pawb!!!
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Last night I got my first ever ‘unprovoked’ Welsh ‘chat’ out of Oscar. Tucked him in to bed, gave him a kiss, then on his own he went through our normal ritual, good night, sleep well, love you, see you tomorrow.
Was very happy and put a smile on the end of my day.
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I’d like tips from any parents out there who have advice for reading to children and for developing their reading skills, together with ideas for developing enthusiasm for reading in general. My daughter at the age of five has a significantly greater vocabulary than myself, is vastly more fluent and has a significant dislike of any strange, unnatural sentence constructions or bad pronunciations that I may throw in. In light of that how can I possibly assist in helping her to read with expression and describe and comment on the things that she is reading. The only thing I have managed to get to work so far in terms of engagement is what I would call silly reading, where we just make up nonsense (absolute off script nonsense to fit my ability and vocabulary, not hers), but since that’s not really in line with what I am supposed to be doing and not really advancing her reading, what can I do?. I have an ability deficit here in terms of the bank of appropriate words, phrases and sentences to support the reading.materials being used.